Increasing number of beauty pageants in Vietnam

By New Straits Times - July 17, 2022 @ 10:03pm

Most of the pageants were organised by industry groups and entertainment companies, including Miss Universe Vietnam in June and Miss Ethnic Vietnam, Miss Ao Dai Vietnam and Miss Sports Vietnam in July.

HANOI: The number of beauty pageants being held in Vietnam is growing rapidly, with nearly 20 being since the beginning of the year.

Most of the pageants were organised by industry groups and entertainment companies, including Miss Universe Vietnam in June and Miss Ethnic Vietnam, Miss Ao Dai Vietnam and Miss Sports Vietnam in July.

According to a Vn Express report, many more are lined up for this year. Among them are Miss World Vietnam (Aug 12), Miss Peace Vietnam (Sept 11), Miss Grand Vietnam (Sept 25), Miss Vietnam Sea and Island (Oct 22), Miss Vietnam (Dec 15), and Miss Earth Vietnam (Dec 22).

The sprouting of new pageants has been attributed to the Department of Performing Arts that eased regulations in February 2021 for such events to be held and the industry has seen a 10-fold increase.

Organisers now only need an approval from the local people's committee to hold a pageant.

Before the easing of the rules, there were only two licensed national beauty pageants in a year and a few smaller ones in the country.

However, those involved in the industry said the popularity of beauty pageants has spurred the recovery of the entertainment industry that suffered during the various Covid lockdowns that were imposed previously.

They said the pageants were attracting large audiences and there were also groups on social media that discussed about the contestants and made predictions on who would win.

The Vn Express said many of the groups have over 100,000 members and their postings frequently received thousands of 'likes,' 'comments' and 'shares.'

Hoang Nhat Nam, director of Miss World Vietnam that is scheduled to be held in August, said about 20,000 people are expected to watch the event live.

As the number of events grow, many contestants also take part in multiple events in search of success.

Even the 2022 Miss Universe Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau, had won or was the runner-up in numerous other pageants.

Dang Vuong Huyen Tran, who lost in the Miss Universe Vietnam semi-final, immediately registered to compete in Miss Ethnic Vietnam.

However, some have been critical about this as they were tired of watching the same faces repeatedly.

Pham Kim Dung, general director of Golden Lotus Company, which owns the rights to a number of beauty pageants, said they were aware that the sheer number of contests was causing the public to be "overwhelmed".

Le Xuan Son, head of the Miss Vietnam organising committee, said the contest was no longer licensed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Due to the deluge of beauty pageants, he is worried that the public may gradually lose faith in the long-standing and prestigious competition.

Department of Performing Arts former director Nguyen Quang Vinh dismissed the concerns saying this was a normal occurrence and believed that the contests would help promote tourism and regional and national cultures, and also boost the nation's economy.

"Everyone has the right to support high-quality competitions while ignoring poorer ones and allowing them to self-destruct. That is the rule of the free market."

Every year there are as many as 60 beauty contests in countries like Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

"The rise of beauty pageants demonstrates the growth of Vietnam's entertainment industry," said Chu Tan Van, an executive at an entertainment company.

"What is important is how the organisers perform their responsibilities after the contest, and not just stop with granting titles and crowns to winners," My Dung, a representative of the Miss Tourism Vietnam pageant, said.

https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2022/07/814190/increasing-number-beauty-pageants-vietnam